In a land torn asunder by incessant warfare, it is time to assemble your own band of hardened warriors and enter the fray. Lead your men into battle, expand your realm, and claim the ultimate prize: the throne of Calradia!

Graphical overhaul: Support added for HDR, FSAA, depth of field, soft particles, tone mapping, and many other effects

New models with greater detail and high-quality textures

Multiplayer battles with up to 64 players. Multiplayer modes include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Conquest, Battle, and Siege

A campaign allowing you to become the ruler of a faction and convince lords to become your vassals

The ability to upgrade your companions to vassals by granting them lands

The ability to marry a lady of the realm for romance or cold political gain. Try to win a lady’s heart through poetry or bravery

Improved mechanics for soldier morale: Soldiers will break and run away if their morale gets too low

Pick any projectile off the battlefield for use as additional munitions

New motion-captured combat animations

Numerous improvements to the combat system: Your shield will still stop arrows even if you are not actively defending

The ability to play multiplayer matches on random maps as well as hand-designed ones

Shopper Reviews

Giant Sandbox

Between the core game, the expansions, and the mods this is a toy box of adventure. I wish for some kind of more solid single player specific campaign, but some mods take care of that too at least. A good mix of complex controls for specific actions and easily accessible controls for mundane actions, you really do get a simulated experience of riding a horse, firing a bow, using a spear, swinging a sword...etc. For an older game the graphics are quite decent and atmospheric with a pleasant soundtrack. No voice acting (beyond grunts and shouts) but this makes the game easier to play in other languages. If you don't mind some repetition of tasks and basically having to choose your own journey (do you want to take over a castle? be a merchant? fight bandits? join the army? Become king? Woo fair maidens? Get lots of gold or the best armor and weapons?) this game will keep you mighty busy even without the still strong community adding bizzarities like a Star Wars mod, a Lord of the Rings mod, a mod for every time in history...etc. Check it out! On sale or not it's worth it.